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Michigan Association for Justice

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Michigan Association for Justice (MAJ), formerly the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association (MTLA) is a professional association of over 1,400 plaintiff's attorneys and staff, with offices in Lansing, Michigan.

MAJ provides members with professional networking, online listserves, a data bank of relevant court documents and legal experts, and a member directory. The organization also provides an extensive continuing legal education (CLE) program in locations throughout Michigan. Additionally, MAJ's Lansing-based government affairs staff lobbies legislators and state agencies to advance a pro-civil justice legislative agenda, intended to preserve and enhance the rights of injured people.

MAJ states that it "promotes justice and fairness for injured persons, safeguards victims' rights--particularly the right to trial by jury--and strengthens the civil justice system through education and disclosure of information critical to public health and safety."[1] It provides information and professional assistance to its members. It is headquartered in Lansing, Michigan. The MAJ is an affiliated member of the American Association for Justice.

History

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Past presidents

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  • 1945 - 49 Samuel Charfoos (d)
  • 1949 - 53 Hon. Theodore R. Bohn
  • 1953 - 55 Benjamin Marcus (d)
  • 1955 - 56 Carl Gussen (d)
  • 1956 - 57 James A. Markle (d)
  • 1957 - 58 Saul M. Leach
  • 1958 - 59 Duane S. Van Benschoten (d)
  • 1959 - 60 I. Goodman Cohen (d)
  • 1960 - 61 D. Charles Marsten
  • 1961 - 62 Dean Robb
  • 1962 - 63 Max Dean
  • 1963 - 64 George L. Downing
  • 1964 - 65 Lee C. Dramis (d)
  • 1965 - 66 Howard Silver
  • 1966 - 67 James E. Burns (d)
  • 1967 - 68 Cassius E. Street
  • 1968 - 69 James W. Baker (d)
  • 1969 - 70 Eugene D. Mossner
  • 1970 - 71 Irving Kroll
  • 1971 - 72 Morton E. Schneider
  • 1972 - 74 Harry M. Philo
  • 1974 - 75 George Bedrosian
  • 1975 - 76 Sheldon L. Miller
  • 1976 - 77 James F. Logan
  • 1977 - 78 Clifford H. Hart
  • 1978 - 79 George M. Maurer, Jr.
  • 1979 - 80 Jack H. Bindes
  • 1980 - 81 Jeffrey N. Shillman
  • 1981 - 82 Paul A. Rosen (d)
  • 1982 - 83 George T. Sinas
  • 1983 - 84 Beverly Clark
  • 1984 - 85 Sherwin Schreier
  • 1985 - 86 Nicholas J. Rine
  • 1986 - 87 Hon. William B. Murphy
  • 1987 - 88 Carl R. Edwards
  • 1988 - 89 Charles J. Barr
  • 1989 - 90 Sheldon D. Erlich
  • 1990 - 91 Barry Waldman
  • 1991 - 92 Thomas Hay
  • 1992 - 93 Marjory Cohen
  • 1993 - 94 Michael Pianin
  • 1994 - 95 Dave Getto
  • 1995 - 96 Mark Weiss (d)
  • 1996 - 97 Richard Skutt
  • 1997 - 98 Kathy Bogas
  • 1998 - 99 Carol McNeilage
  • 1999 - 2000 Barry Goodman
  • 2000 - 01 Jules Olsman
  • 2001 - 02 Norman Tucker
  • 2002 - 03 Alan Helmkamp
  • 2003 - 04 Brian Waldman
  • 2004 - 05 Michael Pitt
  • 2005 - 06 Linda Miller Atkinson
  • 2006 - 07 Jesse Reiter[2]
  • 2007 - 08 Robert Raitt[3]
  • 2008 - 09 Judy Susskind
  • 2009 - 10 Richard Warsh
  • 2010 - 11 Barry J. Gates
  • 2011 - 12 Michael J. Behm
  • 2012 - 13 Marc E. Lipton
  • 2013 - 14 Gerald H. Acker[4]
  • 2014 - 15 Scott A. Goodwin[5][better source needed]
  • 2015 - 16 Ven R. Johnson
  • 2016 - 17 Thomas W. Waun
  • 2017 - 18 Brian J. McKeen
  • 2018 - 19 Debra A. Freid[6]
  • 2019 - 20 Robert J. MacDonald[7]
  • 2020 - 21 Donna M. MacKenzie[8]
  • 2021 - 22 Ronald K. Weiner[9]
  • 2022 - 23 Stuart A. Sklar[10]

Membership and governance

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The MAJ is currently presided over by President Stuart A. Sklar. He works with the other officers and MAJ Executive Director Steve Pontoni, who oversees the day-to-day operation of the organization. The executive board, which meets throughout the year, is made up of 120 members including all past presidents.

References

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  1. ^ "MAJ Mission Statement". www.michiganjustice.org.
  2. ^ "Jesse Reiter | Exclusive Focus on Birth Injury". www.abclawcenters.com.
  3. ^ "Business & Professional Memos". The Detroit Jewish News. The Detroit Jewish News Virtual Archives. 31 May 2007. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  4. ^ "HUNTINGTON WOODS RESIDENT, GERALD ACKER OF GOODMAN ACKER P.C., ELECTED PRESIDENT OF MICHIGAN ASSOCIATION FOR JUSTICE". Huntington Woods-Berkley, MI Patch. June 19, 2013.
  5. ^ Goodwin, Scott. "Scott Goodwin Named President-Elect of the Michigan Association for Justice". www.1888goodwin.com. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020.
  6. ^ Nobles, Holly (February 2019). "UPDATE: MAJ applauds MSU for the firing of Young". www.wilx.com.
  7. ^ "Daily Briefs > Detroit Legal News". legalnews.com.
  8. ^ "MacKenzie is new president of the MAJ". Michigan Lawyers Weekly. 5 June 2020.
  9. ^ "Ronald K. Weiner sworn in as 69th MAJ president". Michigan Lawyers Weekly. 8 June 2021.
  10. ^ "Crossroads: New MAJ President Takes Helm at Pivotal Time > Detroit Legal News". legalnews.com.